Jets Take Alabama's Quinnen Williams With 3rd Overall Pick In NFL Draft
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (CBSNewYork) - With the third overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the New York Jets have selected Alabama Crimson Tide defensive lineman Quinnen Williams (Kentucky linebacker Josh Allen or Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa). Williams marks the fourth defensive player selected in the first round in General Manager Mike Maccagnan's tenure joining Leonard Williams (2015), Darron Lee (2016) and Jamal Adams (2017) on that side of the ball.
A 21-year-old redshirt sophomore, Williams took over the starting defensive tackle duties for the Tide in 2018 and put on a dominant performance. Playing in all 15 games for the Tide he racked up 19 tackles for loss and eight sacks from the middle of the defensive front. Taking Williams makes for a versatile defensive front with guys that can slide in to any spot on the line on any given down.
At 6'3" and weighing 303 pounds, Williams ran a 4.83 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine last month, wowing scouts and finishing with the 5th-fastest time among defensive linemen. An explosive first step makes him difficult to double team and allows him to get into the backfield quickly. He joins a Jets defense that ranked 26th against the run (126.3 YPG), 16th in sacks (39) and 29th in scoring defense (27.6 PPG). Williams should help the unit improve across the board in those categories under new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.